From audio-visual rights society, garlands for legendary Olu Jacobs

Veteran actor Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs who is popular as Olu Jacobs could not hold back tears of joy and excitement on Wednesday, when the leadership of the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), the sole government licensed collective management organisation for audio-visual content, presented him with an Icon Award, a check of the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand naira and a membership certificate.

Flanked by his wife, the actress Ajoke Jacobs at a brief presentation ceremony, which held at the Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos, the actors ceaselessly muttered, “thank you” as Chairman of the AVRS Mahmood Ali-Balogun made the different presentations to the octogenarian actor who clocked 80 in July.

Ali-Balogun who led some members of the Board of the AVRS to the presentation ceremony said the veteran actor deserved the award for his meritorious contribution to the development and growth of the audio-visual industry in Nigeria.

“Uncle Olu Jacobs is a well- established performer whose contributions to the audio-visual sector cannot be quantified. It is just appropriate for the AVRS, which is the sole government licensed collective management organisation for audio-visual content to honour this Icon of the profession who should rightly be a leading member of the AVRS because of his body of works,” Ali-Balogun said, adding that the AVRS will continue “to impress on users of audio-visual content to meet their licensing obligations as AVRS is the only opportunity for a vast majority of audio-visual creative to be pensionable.”

The highpoint of the presentation ceremony was the presentation of a check and a membership certificate to both the actor’s actor and his wife Ajoke Silva Jacobs.

“With this presentation, both Uncle Olu and his amiable wife Ajoke Jacobs are now members of the AVRS and they qualify to receive royalties anytime it is shared to members. That is the chief reason AVRS is in existence; to collect royalties from right users for distribution to right owners,’’ Ali-Balogun said

Responding, a visibly elated Olu Jacobs thanked the AVRS leadership for the honour done him and the membership extended to them.

“The only ‘thank you’ that is big enough to appreciate the AVRS for this honour done me is to say a louder thank you. Thank you AVRS.”

On her part, Joke thanked the AVRS for the honour and promised to be a strong advocate for the AVRS. Representative of the Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission MDA Ojo, AVRS Board Members, including actress Monalisa Chinda, Otunba Aina Kushoro, Agba Akin Yemi Solade, Ejike Asiegbu, and Elder Tunji Ojetola, as well as the General Manager of AVRS, Olubukola Adeyemi, were among personalities that witnessed the ceremony.